Several areas of the the Guadalajara metropolitan area were convulsed by homicides last weekend, many of which were concentrated in El Salto, Tonala and Tlaquepaque, a municipality currently attempting to convince the country’s tourism board to award it “Pueblo Magico” status.

Between Saturday, February 3 and Sunday, February 4, a whopping 18 murders were reported around the metropolis. Police are attributing the violence to a heated turf war between factions of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), one of the country’s most powerful criminal organizations.

According to the State Attorney General’s office, the violence was set off by a power vacuum within local cartel cells created by the arrest of CJHG capo “El Argentino.” He was detained for his alleged involvement in three homicides last month, in addition to other crimes.

Tlaquepaque bore the brunt of the executions, with bodies found Sunday at various points, including the intersections of calles Alba and Ciudad Pemex, calles Las Flores and La Loma, and Colonia Organo. The majority of the corpses were found neatly wrapped in plastic.

Just a few hours before this paper went to press, Tlaquepaque was the site of another act of violence when gunmen sprayed a Don Cangrejo Seafood Reestaurant in colonia Guadalupana with bullets, killing five and wounding two more. Witnesses claim that at least 10 men were involved in the assault. According to authorities, all the victims were carrying fire arms.

In Tonala on Saturday, five men were shot in a house in Colonia Santa Paula. Bullet wounds examined by forensics officials suggested the murders were committed execution style.

Zapopan didn’t come out unscathed, with a report of a man gunned down in Colonia Arcos Vallarta. Neither did Tlajomulco, where two men were found shot to death in colonias Los Sauces and Lomas de Tejada.